From the Principal

A society shows greatness when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Greek Proverb

I was staggered when I recently learnt that over one billion students are currently not attending school on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to an undeniable state of disruption and human suffering, we are changing to a ‘new normal’ that has been brought on by things beyond our control. The exact possibilities of this new model are still not clear.  Yet through our Remote Learning Program, College finds itself in a uniquely enviable position of being able to equip students to become ‘humans who navigate, thrive and contribute to the greater wellbeing and progress of humanity’.

Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) recently identified the megatrends shaping our future in their ‘Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030’ report. ‘Swift advances in technological innovation, demographic shifts, rapid urbanisation, shifts in global and economic power, resource scarcity and climate change are the tremendous forces reshaping society’. They concluded that to thrive, education needed to be more adaptable. Blair Sheppard, Global Leader, Strategy and Leadership Development at PWC said, ‘to stay ahead, you need to focus on your ability to continuously adapt, engage with others in that process, and most importantly retain your core sense of identity and values. For students, it’s not just about acquiring knowledge, but about how to learn.’  To equip today’s students to thrive in the workplace of 2030 and beyond, a whole new curriculum competency framework is needed: one that centres on foundational literacies (ways of knowing), capability skills (ways of thinking) and character attributes (ways of being).  The importance of connectedness to life now plays an equally important role to the pursuit of knowledge, and this provides us with great confidence as we plan our curriculum changes into the next decade.

Finally, we soon hope for an endorsement by the Victorian Chief Health Officer to return to the classroom.  Until such time, I encourage all families to watch either the Junior or Senior School Information Seminars filmed this week.  They provide a human face and excellent tips on how to enhance your child’s remote learning experience. I remain here for you anytime at ahirst@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au.  

Dr Andrew Hirst